ARTICLES ABOUT BAR BY DATE - PAGE 5

You may have just missed your opportunity to celebrate Mardi Gras in New Orleans, but you can get a taste of the Big Easy closer to home thanks to The Bayou, which will open Monday at 702 Hawthorne Road in Bethlehem. The restaurant fills the space formerly occupied by the Hawthorne House, which was destroyed by an arson fire in 2009. It features a mix of rustic and modern decor - complete with hardwood floors, exposed brick walls and two flat-screen TVs. Owner Cristian Duarte, a former bar manager at the now-closed Starters Riverport, describes the cuisine as “American contemporary with a Southern influence - particularly New Orleans-focused.” He highlights three dishes as house staples: buttermilk fried chicken, the Bayou burger and Ty's mac and cheese (named after executive chef Tyler Baxter)

Easton police said a man involved in a domestic dispute Saturday had weapons he was not permitted to have. William Sanchez, 39, of the 1400 block of Washington Street is charged with five counts of illegal possession of firearms and terroristic threats. He is free after posting $7,500 bail, according to Northampton County Court records. According to police: On Saturday afternoon, police were called to Sanchez's apartment because of the dispute. Sanchez threatened the woman's life and assaulted her. Police did not identify the woman.

A former Lehigh University football player charged with beating up another student outside a Bethlehem neighborhood bar pleaded guilty Monday to simple assault and public drunkenness. Russhon R. Phillips, 19, faces sentencing April 8 by Northampton County Senior Judge Leonard Zito for the fight last year outside Leon's Bar on East Fifth Street. The plea agreement came as Assistant District Attorney Richard Pepper withdrew a more serious charge of aggravated assault. Pepper has said Phillips no longer attends Lehigh.

By Riley Yates and Samantha Marcus, Of The Morning Call | March 1, 2014

When Jennifer Sletvold was sworn in this year as Northampton County's newest judge, she had a lot of people to credit for helping make it happen. There was her husband, their two young sons and her former law associates. There were dignitaries like U.S. Rep. Charlie Dent and other local lawmakers. There were some of the foot soldiers who aided her campaign, which all but locked up victory in the primary when Sletvold won the nomination not only of her Republican Party, but also on the Democratic side of the ticket.

Grille 3501, the restaurant and martini bar on Broadway in South Whitehall Township, has begun an expansion project that will add an additional bar and dining space. According to manager Jane Lewis, demolition of a barn/garage began about a month ago and construction on a two-story building is set to begin in the coming weeks. The new venue, which will feature a sliding glass door for al fresco dining, will bring a square-shaped bar on the first level and 50 more seats on both levels.

Tanya Hamlin walked through the front door at Edelweis Haus and saw ghosts. "I'm not psychic or anything like that," she said. "But you could just see it. " Scuff marks ringed the polished dance floor next to the bar on Main Street in Northampton. When she crossed it, Hamlin saw dancers skipping before the maypole or promenading and pivoting to "Ta-Ra-Ra-Boom-De-Ay" and "Hey, Hey Farmer Gray. " "I knew this was the place," Hamlin said. So on Tuesday, Hamlin, who moved to the Lehigh Valley from Georgia a little over a year ago, bought the bar. What comes with it might be bigger than she realizes.

Students who arrive in State College on Saturday for the annual State Patty's Day drinking holiday will find the majority of downtown restaurants and taverns closed or dry, Penn State officials say. Damon Sims, Penn State's vice president for student affairs, said 33 of 35 downtown State College establishments, including all taverns and bottle shops, have agreed to accept monetary compensation offered by the university for a moratorium of the...

By Sam Kennedy and Ryan Kneller, Of The Morning Call | February 24, 2014

Starters Pub in Lower Saucon Township is officially out of business, serving its last customers on Sunday. The pub's closing, confirmed Saturday by General Manager Matt Weaver, comes a year and a day after Starters Riverport, once the Lehigh Valley's largest restaurant and an early linchpin in south Bethlehem's revitalization, shut its doors. The demise of the pub on Route 378 means only one of three Starters locations will be left - at the Bethlehem Golf Club. Weaver gave no explanation for the sudden closure of the Lower Saucon pub, which opened in April 2000.

An Emmaus man who police say resisted arrest and had to be shot with a stun gun during a drug raid at an Allentown bar avoided jail time after admitting to his crimes. Bryant Walton, 48, one of 10 people busted in the raid last spring at Brooklyn Bar and Grill, pleaded guilty Tuesday to possession of a controlled substance and resisting arrest, both misdemeanors. In return for his plea, prosecutors dropped a felony possession with intent to deliver charge. Two misdemeanor charges — tampering with evidence and disorderly conduct — also were dropped.

Democratic gubernatorial candidate Katie McGinty will return a $36,400 contribution from a political action committee whose principal donor is Joe Hardy III, the 84 Lumber CEO and a co-owner of Nemacolin Woodlands Resort, a Fayette County retreat with a casino. McGinty's campaign said she is returning the money because the PAC is not registered with the Pennsylvania Department of State, prohibiting it from supporting candidates for Pennsylvania office. "We were unaware that Friends of Effective Government PAC was not registered in Pennsylvania," said Mike Mikus, spokesman for McGinty.